


unordinary allies (make for interesting friends)

by marchioness_king



Category: DCU (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Animal Crossing References, Gen, Lady Shiva's name is spelled Sandra Wu-San, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marchioness_king/pseuds/marchioness_king
Summary: All of Cass' siblings were on teams, at some point or another. She never expected to be on one, herself.(The League of Assassins may or may not be in Gotham. Again. There's no way in hell she's letting Deathstroke run around in her city, fighting her enemies, without stepping in to keep an eye on things.)
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Original Dog Character(s), Cassandra Cain & Sandra Woosan, Cassandra Cain & Slade Wilson, Cassandra Cain & Thaddeus Thawne
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13
Collections: The GUG Cinematic Universe





	1. the invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Check out Cass' GUG blog at cass-c-wayne.tumblr.com!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass receives a proposition from someone she cannot trust. She sort of wishes she had more of a reason to fight him.

Gotham was a city like no other city: bitter and lonely and dark. The flickering lamps left the streets gold or blue, in equal turns like the dress the internet fought about a couple years ago, and the sky was smoky black and bare. There were no stars, not that they were ever visible here, but the moon was somewhere behind the clouds and the Bat-Signal wasn’t lit.

It was a quiet night, but there was an itch beneath Cass’ skin and she wanted it gone. If she weren’t out on the streets, she might’ve found a fast song to spin to until she was dizzy.

She was downtown, but she hadn’t seen any of her siblings or Dad or other allies. They were all patrolling less and less, and it made the city seem that much bigger. She caught movement atop a roof at the very edge of her vision, and the flash of a red head covering made her pause, thinking it was Jason. She hadn’t seen them in a very long time.

But it was quickly apparent this was not them, when she saw that the head was half red, half black. She tensed, planting her feet, as the newcomer came towards her. She was Black Bat, _The One Who Is All_ , daughter of Lady Shiva and one of Batman’s allies, but this, she could now see, was Deathstroke. If it came to a fight, it would be an evener match.

It would be a good workout, like a difficult dance.

He landed on her roof, and he didn’t seem hostile, so she didn’t immediately attack him. “Black Bat,” he greeted, and she waited, perfectly still. There was a moment’s pause, and he continued. “Haven’t seen any of the other bats and birds around.”

They couldn’t see each others’ faces, but she frowned anyway. “Why are you in Gotham?” she asked. She thought it was a safe enough question. Usually Dad or Dick handled him. She could probably take him, though, even though she was a little rusty.

“Looking for you, actually,” he said, and her frown became a scowl. “There’s an operation I’m trying to take down. I’ve got a team already, but it’s starting to cross into Gotham, and I need someone from around here to take point.”

She crossed her arms. He seemed genuine, so far as she could tell without seeing his face. “Why me?”

“Do you think any of your siblings would be keen to work with me?” he retorted. “This is delicate work, anyways. I need someone who can listen to me and employ some level of self control.”

She was slightly offended on her family’s behalf. Her brothers were all good teammates, with lots of experience. Then she considered that they were often leaders on those teams, but that didn’t exactly appeal Deathstroke’s proposition to her.

She took a step back. “What makes you think I’d take orders from you?” she wondered. She didn’t take orders from anyone, really. Well, except for when Babs asked for help. Otherwise, she was usually on her own.

“I don’t need to give orders if you stick to a semblance of a plan,” he countered. “I’m not worried about you; I’ve got enough problems with the rest of my team.” He paused, and then nodded sharply. “We’re meeting Saturday night,” he said. “Midnight, at a warehouse on the docks. Green roof, there’ll be lights inside. I’m sure you can find it. You can give me your answer then.”

“What if I bring someone with me?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Then that’s a no. Hope you don’t, though. I’m pretty sure the League’s involved.”

Cass didn’t even think to follow him or demand answers; he offered a two-fingered salute and left the rooftop, already several away before she came to her senses. The League (of Assassins, it had to be, or maybe it was the JLA and there was corruption in the ranks) in Gotham? A “delicate” operation?

...he thought she’d be an asset to his team.

She pulled out a grapple and turned it in her hands, as he disappeared from view. He was fast and sneaky, so there was no point following him. She almost felt cheated out of a good fight.

\---

All of the shops in Mom’s neighborhoods were closed, by the time she made her way back. She’d stopped a mugging along the way, but it was a quick and bloodless fight. Effortlessly, she climbed up to the window in the living room. It slid open quietly, and she crawled inside.

Mom was still awake, sitting on the couch in her pajamas with a book open on her lap. “Good patrol?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Cass replied. Apollo trotted up to her, and she smiled while she scratched behind his ears. “Quiet night.”

“Good,” Mom said. “Are you going back to the Manor tomorrow?”

She nodded. “I have to, for tutoring.”

Mom pursed her lips, but was otherwise carefully blank. “Sleep well.”

“You too,” Cass said, and she went to her room, Apollo following sedately. She closed the door and was in darkness, making her way to the closet by habit alone.

Off came the uniform, and she pulled on one of Tim’s old t-shirts and a pair of briefs. Apollo whined, and she pet him again before falling heavily onto the bed. It was only a foot or so above the ground; it reminded her of her mattress back in Hong Kong.

Midnight at a warehouse with a green roof by the docks. She could probably handle it, if it was an ambush. She’d ask Kiana to call Dad if she didn’t show up to dance class on Monday, although Mom would probably notice sooner if she were gone.

Apollo stepped up onto the bed, resting his head on her leg. “Saturday night,” she whispered to him. She hoped this wouldn’t blow up in her face.

\---

4:07am

**Anon:**

Thanks for hearing me out. -DS

**cass-c-wayne:**

I still haven’t agreed.

(#ds 🗡)


	2. leapfrog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass loves Damian a lot. She just wishes he were a little less benevolently manipulative.

Damian gasped loudly when the little frog they’d affectionately dubbed “Tom” escaped from his grasp. It jumped straight into the pond and disappeared beneath the surface of the water, much to his consternation.

“Oh no,” Cass said, watching her brother carefully. He seemed surprised and disappointed, but still happy. “We can find it.”

“That’s okay,” he sighed. “We’ve been out here awhile, anyways.”

Cass pulled out her phone, and looked at the time; it had been well over an hour. “Oh,” she said. “I should probably go back, then.”

When she looked up, he was frowning. “What do you mean, back?” he demanded.

Oops. “To Mom’s,” she explained.

“Why?” he asked, crossing his arms. “You could stay for dinner.”

There was no reason for her not to, she supposed. “Alright,” she said. “For dinner.”

She looked back down to text Mom that she would be late, but she didn’t miss Damian’s satisfied smirk. When she was done, she found him crouched with his hands extended. Quickly, he reached into the shallow water to grab a larger frog than Percival, splotchy and almost brown.

“What do you think?” he asked, holding it up like Simba.

She examined it and decided, “It looks like a Vera.”

He nodded decisively. “Hurry and take a picture,” he urged, and she obliged. In the image, Vera looked rather bored, and it made her giggle.

“We should play Animal Crossing,” he announced. “After dinner. I made a frog pond on my island.”

Cass hadn’t played in a while, so her Switch was probably still here. “How did you make it a frog pond?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he answered. Gently, he put Vera down, and they watched it hop away.

“Dinner and Animal Crossing,” she said. She’d have to hurry to Mom’s afterwards. It was times like this she missed Isabeth.

“And then we can watch a movie,” Damian added, pretending to be unconcerned when she squinted at him. “ _Lilo and Stitch_ , perhaps.”

He was fidgeting, his foot drawing short lines in the ground. She sighed. “I’ll stay in tonight,” she acquiesced, pulling out her phone to text Mom again. “We can watch a movie or two before we go to bed.”

He smiled brightly, and she supposed the change of plans was worth it, for that. He slipped his hand in hers as they started walking to the back door, and she squeezed it tightly.


	3. wait for them to ask you who you know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Saturday, almost Sunday, and Cass wonders if this is what going to school with a new class feels like.

After the roombas, Cass didn’t even have to make an excuse to go back to Mom’s for the weekend. Everyone else seemed pretty rattled by them too.

There was nothing she could do to soothe the twisty feeling in her chest. If she kept going, on her way to the docks, she was putting herself in danger. If she turned around, she would wonder what she missed: if she could’ve saved lives.

Past the rooftops, the bay came into view. She took a deep, shaky breath, fist clenching around her grapple. She gave herself thirty seconds and then leaped.

Red roof, brown roof, gray roof, gray roof. She counted as she went down the line, alighting on each one lightly and quietly. Finally, a green roof, and the faint sounds of conversation. She could just go through the door, but that was no fun.

“Don’t you feel like being dramatic?” Steph had asked, halfway across the city outside an office building, reaching behind herself to flare out her cape. Cass had laughed, because that wasn’t why Dad did it.

It was surprise, and power, and control. She made her way to a window which was shattered and slipped through, crouching in the shadows of the catwalk. It was childish to hold her breath, like that would help anything, but she did it anyways.

Deathstroke was below, in full costume, standing by a card table. There was a silver-skinned woman with short hair sitting in a picnic chair, feet kicked up on the cheap plastic, across from a red-haired woman in a yellow costume. She didn’t recognize either of him, or either of the blonds in green—the one who fidgeted a little  _ too _ quickly or the one with longer hair—or the man in strange white robes. The last of the group, who almost looked like he was in black-and-white, made her still. For a heart-stopping moment, she thought it was Conner, but Conner didn’t look that… sickly?

“It’s almost midnight,” she heard the redhead announce. “You said your contact would be here.”

“She might be running late,” Deathstroke replied evenly. “Patience is a virtue.”

“A useless one,” said the man Cass thought might be a speedster, his audience the redhead. A speedster in green… she’d heard something about one from Tim, but she didn’t remember enough for the information to be useful.

“Aren’t they all,” Deathstroke muttered, not quiet enough not to be heard.

“Bat upstairs,” announced the Conner look-alike, and the rest of the team looked towards the catwalk, each looking in a different location. But the Conner look-alike looked right at her, and she supposed she was found.

She stood and stepped into the nearest patch of light. Immediately, the redhead scoffed. “That’s not Batman.”

“Might as well be,” Deathstroke said, and Cass carefully didn’t think about why she had to keep herself from preening. “Black Bat. I assume you were on time?” She didn’t deign to answer, but she went all the way to the front of the place to use the stairs. He shook his head and gestured to the others. “My team,” he informed her.

“‘Sup,” said the speedster, wiggling his fingers in the air. “I’m Inertia.” A name for the face, so far as she could see beneath the goggles and paper face mask.

“Hello,” she replied. He was clearly dangerous, on edge. If she could see his mouth, she was sure his smile would be sharp.

“Introductions can come later,” Deathstroke interrupted. Still looking at Cass, he said, “There’s a League of Assassins team in Gotham. Who knows why and who knows how, but I’ve been hired to take them out. Don’t ask by who,” he added, quickly.

“I still think it’s Luthor,” drawled the silver-skinned woman.

The man in the white robe tapped his chin. “It might be Wayne,” he offered. “This is his city, after all.”

“Maybe he thought the Bats wouldn’t handle it,” the redhead finished, glaring at Cass.

She ignored them. “What do you need me for?” she asked.

“Diversion,” Deathstroke answered. “Running interference with the Bats, insider knowledge of the League, little bit of a fear factor. What, you’re terrifying.”

“I don’t kill,” she pointed out.

“You don’t need to,” he snorted. “Death is hardly the worst thing you can do to a man.”

She frowned; she didn’t like to think about that. Still, he hadn’t asked her to fight anyone, yet, just… help. Give information. Participate as she liked.

“If you’re a danger to the city, I’ll bring my family in,” she warned, and she could see that he was pleased in the way a bit of tension left his shoulders.

“We’re called the Antitans, by the way,” the redhead cut in. “You know, anti Titans. Since most of us are about that age.”

“Risk came up with it,” the white-robed man added, gesturing towards the one in green with longer hair.

Risk shrugged. “It’s clever,” he argued, his posture relaxed and his expression, Cass guessed, lazy.

“I’m used to puns,” she replied. She missed Dick, suddenly, who would surely know what to do here: what jokes to make. He could make anyone feel at ease around him, but she was sharp and ever-watching.

“I’m Kid Crusader,” continued the white-robed man, although she didn’t think he was any younger than Tim, at least.

“Are we going around in a circle?” the silver-skinned woman scoffed. Still, she followed with, “Call me Bombshell.”

There was the redhead and not-Conner; the redhead spoke next. “Sungirl,” she said.

“And this is Match,” Inertia finished. In a mock-whisper, he added, “He doesn’t talk much. Clone degradation, you know.”

She’d never spoken to Bizarro, but she’d heard about him and the dangers of clones. “It’s nice to meet you all,” she said.

“Sure it is,” Sungirl muttered.

“Settle down,” Deathstroke ordered. He picked up a tablet from the table. “Well?”

Cass stepped forward, and she could imagine his satisfied grin. “Tell me,” she demanded, and she heard Risk laugh.


	4. questions unanswered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the meeting, Cass wants to know who her new teammates are. Also, she is not hiding this as well as she probably should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter; I'm starting to see a pattern.

The “Antitans” left the warehouse one at a time, and Cass was among the first of them. She was quite aware that the others didn’t like her, and sitting in a room of villains—or at least half of them were villains—made her uncomfortable, even after growing used to considering the Gotham City Sirens her aunts. At least they were from _Gotham_. This city didn’t make sense to her, but it was Dad’s. These people weren’t.

She grappled up to the next roof, though she knew it’d be futile if one of them decided to follow her. She wanted to lose any tails before she went back to Mom’s. She didn’t want any trouble.

There were footsteps, heavy behind her. She turned; it was Bombshell, glinting in the moonlight. “Grapples aren’t much use when people like us can fly,” she noted.

Cass inclined her head and waited. Bombshell continued, eventually. “I worked with one of the Robins once,” she announced. “With the actual Titans. Got kicked out. Just so you know what you’re getting into.”

Cass already knew Deathstroke’s impressively long list of crimes, compounded by his apparent knowledge of her civilian identity. She didn’t expect him to surround himself with people she recognized or could trust, and though this seemed mild she knew there was more to it. Still, she said, “Thanks. I know.”

Bombshell offered almost-smile, thin and mirthless, and then lifted off, shooting into the sky. Cass watched her, for a moment, and then swept her gaze around. Inertia and Sungirl were conversing by the warehouse entrance, but she didn’t see anyone else, and she didn’t stick around to.

\---

No one was in the Batcave when she snuck down, even her tutor lazy on Monday mornings. Hopefully Dad didn’t have any searches flagged or anything, because she didn’t care enough to hide hers.

Maybe if someone looked at them, she’d get backup. Or answers.

She didn’t look up Bombshell. Whoever she was and whyever she left the Titans, she had enough of a conscience to try and give Cass a warning. That was enough for her. She didn’t look up Deathstroke either.

In the end, there were only three files she pulled: the rest, she could handle as they came.

\---

10:10 pm

**cass-c-wayne:**

Searching for Daves again.

(#I hope none of THEM are around)

10:43 pm

**Anon:**

if you’re okay sharing, who are the “them” you’re talking about

**cass-c-wayne:**

Some new… friends. I don’t want to explain why I’m chasing roombas around Gotham

(#strangers 😶)


	5. be still and know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass is used to stakeouts. She is less used to stakeouts with hyperactive supervillains.

THADDEUS THAWNE (ALIAS INERTIA)

AKA Kid Zoom, Kid Flash, Reverse Impulse

Genetically engineered clone of IMPULSE. From the future with a particular vendetta against the ALLEN family.

DO NOT ENGAGE ALONE

LAST KNOWN ACTIVITY: 4/11/2020 causing a time/space crisis in Central City, disappeared after being halted by FLASH and allies...

\---

Deathstroke asked her to meet him just after dusk by a long-closed store. She didn’t know what it used to be, but once she skipped patrol to come here so Steph could teach her to play Go Fish, hidden from Babs or Dad by the boarded-up windows.

He was there, arms crossed, in the alley to the side, but he was not alone. Inertia was there too, tapping his foot quickly and frowning. Cass paused for only a half-second, not sure that she wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here but surprised—perhaps at the who, rather than the presence—all the same.

“You’re used to stakeouts, I assumed,” Deathstroke said, when she was within earshot.

She nodded, thinking of the gargoyles she would sit by, practicing syllables under her breath while she waited for action or for Dad to call her off. “Who are we watching?” she asked.

“Possible League agents,” he replied. “They may be meeting a contact here.”

She nodded again. He was free of tension, as far as she could tell. Maybe amused. He seemed to be that way a lot. Inertia shifted his weight to the other foot.

“Where?” Cass asked.

“Around Noonan’s, maybe outside,” Deathstroke replied, and she was glad for her mask so she could grimace in peace. “You know a good place to scope it out?”

She eyed Inertia and nodded. “Follow me.”

\---

9:43pm

**cass-c-wayne:**

It’s going to be a long night

\---

Noonan’s had a back door, a side door, and a front door, which wasn’t entirely unusual. Cass knew of a vantage point for each. She figured each of them would take one, so she was surprised when she was told to watch the back entrance with Inertia.

“Ew,” he muttered, as he tucked himself onto the fire escape beside her. “Does anything in this city ever get cleaned?”

She thought of the hospitals, all antiseptic and despair, or the way the ballroom smelled like bleach after every gala they hosted. “Sometimes,” she replied.

“Not often enough,” he retorted.

They both fell into silence, waiting for anyone to come outside. No one did. After several minutes, Inertia started popping his knuckles, and then reached to pop his shoulders. Cass ignored him; once she’d been watching some of Penguin’s officers with Dick, who decided he could keep a lookout just as well while in a handstand.

“How do you stay so still?” Inertia demanded. “Are you even blinking, in there?”

Cass blinked, purposefully and slowly, before she remembered the mask. “Practice,” she said. “And patience.”

Inertia’s face scrunched up. “Sounds awful.”

She was inclined to agree, knowing that at some point the itch to move—to dance—would strike her. She wondered if it was worse for speedsters. Maybe it came around sooner.

“My legs are cramping already,” he added. “How long has it been?’

“Maybe fifteen minutes,” she replied. There was movement in the alley, and she was relieved until she realized it was just a raccoon.

Inertia nearly elbowed her when he next shifted positions. “ _This_ is awful,” he complained. “I think Deathstroke wants me to suffer, or something.”

 _Or something_ , Cass agreed, silently.

“Is the food down there any good?” he continued. “I could totally just pop in and grab something, if we’ll be here for a while.”

“I wouldn’t call it good,” she mused, though she’d never tried it. “It’s not a culinary place.”

He shrugged. “I’d take it.”

She remembered something about speedster metabolism and squinted at him. Then she pulled out her phone.

“Wish I had _my_ phone,” Inertia said, maybe a little pointedly. She ignored him until she had her answers.

“Do you want a granola bar?” she asked. He stared at her, so she took one out of her utility belt and waved it in the air. “Granola bar,” she repeated. “It's chocolate chip.”

He shook his head, but took it. “Thanks, I think,” he said. “What else do you have in there?”

“Lots,” she said. She packed her own supplies, these days, but most of it was what Dad had first put in there, back when she was first getting used to things.

He had already moved on, fidgeting with the packaging with one hand and eating with the other. They fell into silence, but she was less convinced he hated her, or what she stood for, or the emblem she wore. And when he asked if she had anything else to eat, three hours of mind-numbing waiting later, she offered the other granola bar, and she thought she heard him smile when he said, “Thanks.”

\---

9:36pm

 **cass:** do you know what speedsters eat?

 **duke:** idk but I remember tim asking me if weed was a vegetable a few months ago so he could make something for bart

 **duke:** whatever they eat, it’s probably a lot of it

 **cass:** two granola bars probably isn’t much, hm

 **duke:** wait what for?

 **cass:** nothing in particular

 **duke:** > two granola bars probably isn’t much, hm

this does not sound like nothing in particular

 **cass:** just wondering

 **cass:** “prepare for all situations,” dad said


End file.
